


All These Things I Hate

by tukikochan



Category: Naruto
Genre: Akatsuki - Freeform, Camping, F/M, I hate you but I love you, Romance, rivals in love, true feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:53:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tukikochan/pseuds/tukikochan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Deidara and I didn't get along. At all. Period. Everything about him irritated me. Everything about me irritated him. But the thing is, we had so much in common that it didn't make sense why we weren't the best of friends."<br/> Akemi and Deidara don't really get along. When Pein orders everyone to go on a ludicrous 'bonding' camping trip, she thinks it's outrageous. Especially when he assigns partners based on who each member 'needs to bond with the most.' As expected, Akemi is partnered with Deidara and the drama begins. Will the two enemies kill each other by the end of the trip or will they come to the revelation that their 'hate' for each other was really something else?</p><p>DISCLAIMER! I do not own any of the Akatsuki characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A little bit of shading here. And some more there. And done. I hold out the finished product and smile. I set the drawing on my desk as a knock sounds on my door. I crack it slightly and see Kisame, my best friend. Grinning, I open it completely. "Hiya Kisame!"

Kisame smiles a toothy grin. "Hi there, Akemi. Pein wants us all to have a 'bonding' picnic today. I don't know what the hell he is thinking will happen but I guess we should comply."

I laugh. "Yeah really. It's not like we're all going to be holding hands and singing ring around the rosy by the end of it." I sigh. "Do we really have to go? I mean...how is this going to help us capture the nine tails?"

Kisame shrugs. "I mean, we could try to skip it. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?"

"Wrong," said a deep voice from behind Kisame. Pein.

I sigh exasperatedly. "Pein! Why?" I drawl dramatically, trying to annoy him.

"Akemi, this organization needs to learn teamwork. Kakuzu and Hidan can't even complete a mission without Hidan getting a limb amputated. Deidara and Sasori take three times longer to complete a mission because of their bickering. Tobi is...Tobi. And you and Deidara can't even get near each other before one of you is at the other's throat. We would work more efficiently as a team."

I roll my eyes. "So you think having a picnic is going to solve all of our little problems?"

Kisame grabs my arm tenderly. "Akemi, remember what happened last time you argued with Leader-sama?"

I growl and snatch my arm away. "Fine...we'll go to your stupid picnic. But that's it!"

"Actually, one more thing. We're camping out." Pein walks away and leaves me to steam in my anger.

"Camping?! Is he serious?!" I growl. 

Kisame grabs my shoulders comfortingly. "Look, it won't be that bad. You can just share a tent with me and Itachi. There won't be any problems!"

I calm down a bit. "Okay. You're right, as always. I don't know why I got so irritated. I guess I just...wasn't thinking."

"That's okay. It happens a lot," Kisame chuckles.

I giggle and hit him on the head. "Oh shut up!"

The walk to our picnic and camping site was a long one. I guess he did that on purpose so none of us would sneak back to the base. I sigh. Why did our leader have to be smart? I glanced around at the rest of my peers. Hidan and Kakuzu were walking with each other; Hidan talking as always and Kakuzu staying silent. 'Hmmm...they still walk together even when there's other people to walk with. They act like they hate each other but in all honesty, they only have each other.' I had never seen either of them hanging out with anyone else. I changed my gaze to Pein and Konan. They were obviously enjoying each other's company and having a pleasant conversation. Itachi and Kisame always got along, though it bothered me that Kisame was submissive to Itachi a bit too much. He was such a kiss-ass. I chuckle to myself, rolling my eyes. Zetsu and Tobi were goofing off-or should I say Tobi was and Zetsu was watching. I smile to myself at Tobi's childlike nature, wishing I lacked all the knowledge that forced me to grow up. Finally I let my eyes wander to Sasori and...Deidara. 

Deidara and I didn't get along. At all. Period. Everything about him irritated me. Everything about me irritated him. But the thing is, we had so much in common that it didn't make sense why we weren't BEST friends. We both had a burning passion for art. We both had bad attitudes and wicked tempers. We both liked to take our time. But somehow we couldn't be nice to each other-never really tried I suppose. But at this point, it didn't really seem possible. 

Deidara was chatting with Sasori, presumably being cocky and obnoxious as always. Sasori looked annoyed and spoke every once in a while. I watched Deidara a little longer. I'll admit he was handsome, though I'll always tell him differently. When I started to think about it, I got a bit confused. Why exactly did we hate each other? I though about it really hard but suddenly stopped myself. I really needed to stop thinking so hard. He was Deidara. Obnoxious, annoying, overconfident, short-tempered, and...cute. WAIT...not cute. I shook my head in annoyance at my thoughts and groaned, looking away from them and running up to catch up with Kisame.

I jumped on his back, laughing the whole way. "Yo Kisame. What's it like down there?" I ask. I felt so tall.

Kisame chuckles heartily and flips me onto the ground, resting his foot on my abdomen. "I don't know, you tell me."

I laugh and take his hand as he lends it to me and helps me up. We laugh simultaneously and continue to walk. Finally we reached the site of our theoretical demise. 

The camp site was charming and peaceful. For now. Beside the site was a little stream, and towering trees surrounded the vecinity. 

Pein turned to all of us, signaling he was about to speak. Probably nonsense, as always.

"This is where we are staying tonight. You have all brought tents. And before we begin setting them up, I will assign you a partner according to who each of you need to bond with."

I froze, my blood running cold. I already knew what he was going to say and who he was partnering me with. I had to think about a solution quickly. Suddenly I got an idea and made a mad dash towards Kisame, tackling him and punching him in the face several times.

Kisame groaned in annoyance and tried to push me off of him. Pein rolled his eyes. "Akemi, I know you're faking. Besides, I've already assigned partners. There is nothing you can do to change it."

I sighed and stopped, giving Kisame an apologetic smile. "Can Kisame change it?"

Pein shook his head. "No, Kisame can't change it either."

"What about Kakuzu?"

"No."

"Konan?"

Pein paused. "I...uh...no. Nobody can. Now shut your mouth and let me speak."

I cross my arms, reluctantly listening to what he had to say although I already had a feel for it.

"I have paired each of you up like so: Zetsu is two people in himself, Sasori will share with Kakuzu, Itachi will share with Konan, Kisame with Tobi, Akemi with," he paused, a devious but small smile on his face. I hold my breath; it was either Hidan, Pein, or...Deidara. "...Akemi with Deidara." 

Deidara groans loudly. "Come on!! I have to share a tent with HER?!"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"I can't stand her, yeah!" He continues.

I narrow my eyes at him. "Yeah, you're not my favorite fucking person either," I say coolly.

"Just deal with it. As much as I don't like what I'm about to say...I will be sharing with Hidan," Pein says, grimacing.

"What?! We're sharing a fucking tent?! Are you fucking shitting me right now? I can't stand your bitch ass with your wannabe god status!" He exclaims, glaring at Pein.

"Which is exactly why we are sharing. In case you haven't noticed, I have paired people who don't have a particular fondness for each other. Some of you, like Itachi for example, don't have many enemies and if you do, someone else fights with them even more, so I put you with someone you don't associate with much. The objective of this entire trip is to bond and become more understanding of each other." Everyone-or at least most everyone-sighs and complains. "Now, begin assembling tents."

Everyone began to branch off into their assigned groups. All except me. I sat down on the grass, legs and arms crossed. Deidara approached me and stopped in front of me, looming over me. 

"Don't tell me you're going to sit around while I put up the tent." 

I stay silent, not looking at him.

"You are, aren't you?" Deidara groans, grabbing the tent and beginning to set it up. 

I watch as he stumbles and makes mistakes, laughing on the inside. This was actually quite nice. Watching one's least favorite person stumble to put a tent up was quite the demonstration. Suddenly Deidara disappeared. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion and look around.

"Oh Akemi."

I jump and quickly turn around. "You scared the shit outta me. What the hell?"

He grins evilly. "Never let your guard down." 

I saw him holding something behind his back and scowled. "What's that?"

He slowly reveals what was behind his back and grins even bigger. He had four of my sketching pencils and my rubber eraser, the mouth on his hand licking all over my supplies.

"Hey! Where'd you get those?" I ask.

He shrugs nonchalantly. "They were just laying around. In your bag. Want them back?"

I nod. "Duh! Give 'em here!" I whine.

He reaches out to hand them to me but when I reach for them, he snatches them back. "But only if you help me with the tent."

I sigh but nod. "Sure."

"And anything else we may have to do."

"Fine! Now hand them over!"

He hands them to me and chuckles. "Here you are. Now help me."

I put my stuff up, wiping my hands on my pants. Gross, Deidara spit. I trudged sluggishly to the tent site and put the tent together with no problems. "Done. Is that it?"

Deidara was gaping. "How'd you...?"

"It's simple. What's next?"

Pein summoned us all to a green field. "It's time for the picnic that I promised all of you. Akemi, Konan, Deidara, and Sasori, please lay out the picnic blanket."

I oblige, taking one of the four corners of the giant blanket and helping the others spread it out. When it was flat and spread on the ground, Pein set a basket in the center of the blanket, motioning for us all to sit. I found Kisame and sat with him as Konan allotted each of our food. We each got two BLT sandwiches, a small bag of chips, an apple, along with a pudding cup and a cookie.

Most members chose vanilla for their pudding cup, so I assumed that was the favorite. 'Man, I hope I get a vanilla before they're out!'

Konan holds up one more vanilla. "Who wants the last vanilla?"

"Me!" I shouted along with...someone else simultaneously.

It got silent. I turned toward Deidara and he turned toward me. One pudding cup. Two people. It wasn't going to work out. Both of us jump up and tackle Konan, both of us reaching for the pudding cup and punching each other in various places to try and faze each other.

Pein summoned two of his forms and both grabbed me and Deidara by our hair, pulling us off of Konan. Konan got up, sorta shaken and sits down, handing the pudding to Pein. 

I flinch. My head hurt now. "Can you let us down now? I'm tender headed!"

Pein shakes his head. "Determine who's to get the pudding."

"If you'd let me go, I could blow Akemi up and earn it," Deidara offers, trying to pry the hands off his hair.

"No, settle it like civilized people."

"How the fuck do you expect S-ranked criminals to settle things like 'civilized people'?" Hidan curses.

I sigh. "Deidara, you can have it."

"Oka-hold up...no! You have it!" 

I furrow my eyebrows. "No you have it!"

"Just take the damn pudding cup!"

"You're just telling me to take it because you like to argue! Take it so we can relieve our scalps!"

It got quiet and Deidara finally muttered a 'fine.' Pein released our hair and his two forms disappeared. I rubbed my head and looked around. All the rest of the Akatsuki were staring at us.

I clench my jaw and take my seat next to Kisame. Tearing open my bag of chips, I eat quickly. 

Kisame taps my shoulder. I turn to him. "Are you all right?"

I nod, smiling. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean...you're eating like a barbarian."

I snort. "Like that's unusual!" I pat Kisame's shoulder. "Thanks for your concern though."

After the picnic, the remainder of our day consisted of 'bonding' activities like trust falls and the 'human' pretzel and a short dinner. By nighttime, I had a headache from being dropped by Deidara so many times during the trust falls and my wrists hurt from Hidan trying to yank me around to wherever he wanted me during the human pretzel exercise. Now was time for the bonfire. Pein had sent the more muscular of the group into the woods to collect firewood. I sat down on a large log and watched Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, Zetsu, and Pein pile large tree limbs and branches in the center of the designated area. When they finished, Itachi used his Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu on a smaller scale to light the fire. The fire felt nice and I sat next to Kisame and Itachi. 

"Let's sing campfire songs!" Tobi proposes excitedly.

"Yeah, you're real fucking funny," Hidan states facetiously.

Tobi gets a look of depression and pouts like a little boy. 

"But I have a better idea. How about we all 'bond' over a huge bottle of sake?" Asks Hidan, revealing a huge bottle of sake that was behind his back.

Kakuzu groans. "Hidan, how much did that bottle cost?"

Hidan scowls. "None of your goddamned business, Kakuzu. I bought this with my own Jashin-forsaken money!"

Kakuzu face palms, obviously irritated. But maybe he was feigning irritation to hide the fact that he wanted some himself. Every other member was drooling at the bottle, especially considering the present circumstances. 

I, personally, was a little too young to drink. And so was Deidara. But he was first in line for a glass of sake. I shake my head and stick to my water.

Everyone took a glass and downed it with no problem. Except me and Konan. I shrugged and hoped that none of them would try to 'make a move.' I watched as people like Hidan, Kisame, and Deidara poured glass after glass of the stuff. They were definitely heavy drinkers. 

Kisame stumbled around and sat next to me after about 7 glasses of sake, grinning hugely and reeking of alcohol already. "Aren't you gonna drink?" He asks me.

I shake my head. "No. I would like to be completely aware of my actions," I explain.

"I don't. Then I won't have to take responsibility for what I do to Tobi while I'm 'under the influence,'" he says, chuckling.

I laugh softy. "Wow, you're wrong for that," I say.

"You try dealing with that boy on a 'bonding' mission. The tent...the trust falls..." he shudders, "and I have to sleep in that tent with him tonight." He laughs maniacally and shakes his head. "I can see it now. 'Kisa-senpai, are your parents sharks or humans...or both?' 'Kisa-senpai, was your house in the water or on land?' 'Kisa-senpai, can you take me swimming with you?'" He groans, "He asks soo many questions!"

I nod, trying to keep a straight face. "Well...his maturity level is certainly lower than Itachi's-"

"More like non-existent."

"Which is something you have to take into consideration. You're accustomed to silence, seriousness, and a mutual respect for each other. Tobi...is completely different. Besides, tonight's the only night you'll have to deal with him so if you can bear through it, it'll be over before you know it," I encourage him.

"But...I want to cut his arms off and beat him with them!" Kisame whines.

"Pein wouldn't like that too much. If you're going to do something, make sure it's not permanent," I reason.

He huffs. "Fine."

I watch the bonfire, feeling better than I had all day. Tomorrow we would hopefully just go back to the base and be back to normal until Pein tried to force 'bonding time' on us again. 

Suddenly I noticed Hidan walking towards Konan and I gave her the Look. It was time to flee. She got up and ran to catch up with me as we both ran down to the stream where the light was very dim. We knew that when Hidan walked towards either of us, it was that time again. The time when all of the heavy drinkers started getting a little...grabby.

"Of course Hidan had to bring alcohol," I mutter to myself.

"Well...he knew that this trip was going to be unpleasant."

"It's been unpleasant for you too?" I ask, surprised.

She nods. "Itachi...doesn't talk. Ever. So imagine how awkward it is to be around him. On top of that...he's really depressing to be around. I already know what he's planning to do so getting to know him is kinda hopeless."

I nod. "Well...I know you know my time hasn't been spectacular either. By the way...I'm sorry about the pudding thing."

Konan laughs quietly. "Don't fret, Akemi. It's no problem at all. I'm not hurt or anything."

"Okay. I don't know what I was thinking. Deidara just makes me soo..." I growl, not even knowing what to say.

"I know, Akemi. I understand." 

I smile and sigh. "I'm going bathe real quick."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. It's dark and the guys are drunk-at least most of them are. I'm coming with you."

Konan and I lowered ourselves down to the banks of the stream and quickly reduced our clothing to nothing. I looked back at the fire, which seemed smaller now that we were away from it, and saw the guys doing what they were doing before we left. I step into the cool water and bite my lip, already shivering, but I brace myself and submerge myself in the water for a few seconds before breaking the surface again and gasping in sweet oxygen. Konan broke the surface soon after. The water was cold, that's for sure. I grabbed a bottle of biodegradable shampoo I had already set aside and began washing my hair, handing it to Konan. I massaged it through my scalp and dunked my head, rinsing it out. As I began washing my body with bar soap, I heard footsteps. I lowered my body into the water and looked towards the sound. A shadowy figure stood a bit above the bank of the stream.

"Aww why'd you hide the goods?"

I furrow my eyebrows. It was Deidara. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Your womanly merchandise. I dream of seeing it." He chuckles, stepping and sitting on the bank, watching me. I could see his sparkling blue eyes in the moonlight.


	2. Chapter 2

"You don't know what you're talking about! You're drunk!" I say, unintentionally blushing. 

He smirks. "The dark can't hide it all, y'know. I still see that blush on your face."

I glare at him. "Shut up and stop messing around!"

Deidara grins. "Can I join you?"

I blush even more. "Not no, but HELL no! Are you out of your mind?"

He shrugs. "You're really cute, you know. You'd be really easy to like if you weren't so set on hating me."

I laugh. "Mr. Drunken Blonde, maybe you should look at how you act. At least I try to be nice...sometimes," I say, watching him.

He looks conflicted but it doesn't last long before he gets a stupid grin on his face and takes his cloak off, leaving him in his normal ninja attire. "Art is a bang. And beautiful, I wanna bang you," he slurs, climbing down into the water and swimming after me. 

My eyes widen and I swim away, wondering if Konan was watching this whole dilemma. "Stop acting like an idiot!" I shout as I reach the bank and hurriedly get out, wrapping my Akatsuki cloak around my wet body. I take this opportunity to hide in the shadows.

Deidara huffed. "You're no fun, Akemi!" He gets out of the water after me, his wet clothing sticking to his lean body. He looks around for me blindly for a second then grabs his cloak and walks off back to the bonfire.

I walk back to the bank of the stream and see Konan swimming out from behind a large rock, a smirk on her face.

"That was...interesting," she states.

I shake my head. "That was annoying and totally unnecessary," I correct.

"Yeah well...you seemed to enjoy it."

"What?! Enjoy it? Are you crazy? He's...Deidara!"

Konan shrugs. "Okay, whatever. But, something you should know: sometimes when a person is drunk, they spill everything that is in their head especially when they're too scared to tell someone themselves. He likes you."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Wait, that can't be true. We hate each other!" I said.

Konan raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure you hate each other?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, well why?"

I open my mouth to speak but close it again. 'Damn it,' I think, 'she caught me.' "He...he's annoying!" 

"So? Tobi's annoying too. Do you hate him?"

I cross my arms. "No, but Deidara is different!"

"Okay, well why?"

"Damn you, Konan, if you say 'okay, well why?' one more time-"

She laughs, "You're getting mad only because you don't have a reason!"

I shut my mouth and stare at the water. "Yeah...I guess you're right."

"Of course I am." She finishes up and gets out also, using her cloak as well. We both get our clothes back on and say our farewells. 

It was late. I was tired. I rushed back to the tent and stepped into it. Deidara wasn't here yet because he was still drinking with Hidan and the rest of them. I grab my sleeping bag and maneuver into it, snuggling it close and closing my eyes and trying to fall asleep somehow. But I couldn't. I tried counting sheep and manually rolling my eyes to the back of my head but nothing was working. So I just kept my eyes closed, hoping I'd unknowingly fall asleep like I usually did.

While trying to fall asleep, I heard Deidara getting into the tent. He almost tripped into it and I tried really hard not to laugh. Suddenly it got quiet and I secretly hoped he didn't die. My mind was relaxed when I heard him clear his throat.

"Akemi?" He whispers.

I don't say anything and pretend to sleep. For some reason that's what my mind was telling me to do.

Deidara sighs. "I wish you didn't hate me." His words were like a dagger. It made my heart sink. He sounded so...vulnerable and small when he said it. "So I don't have to pretend to hate you." I heard him shuffle around in the tent and set up his sleeping bag. He was going to sleep too. 

As soon as I heard steady breathing and light snoring from him, I opened my eyes. His words were echoing through my mind, making me weak. I turned over and watched him. He looked so peaceful and I felt terrible. 'He was pretending? The whole time? How could he? It seemed pretty real to me!' I fretted to myself, completely confused. I thought back to the past two years I had been with the Akatsuki. Every fight, every argument, every glare was fake? I still found it hard to believe. 

The issue made me so restless that I could hardly sleep. I tossed and turned all night and it seemed that by the time I fell asleep, it was already morning. I tried to stay asleep but the sun was so bright; it was blinding even through my eyelids. I opened my eyes and sat up. Deidara was up already. I got out of my sleeping bag and quickly braided my raven hair. Then I made my way to the group.

"Good morning, Akemi-chan!" Tobi said cheerily.

I groggily wave slightly and rub my eyes. "Morning." I trudge up to Kisame. "So what's the plan for today?" I ask.

Kisame shrugs. "We're waiting for Pein to inform us."

I nod, sighing. I grab a piece of toast from a platter and eat it slowly. Somehow I could feel eyes on me and I slowly turned and saw Deidara staring at me. He saw me look and quickly averted his gaze. To distract me from his odd staring, he whispers something in Hidan's ear and Hidan bursts out laughing. Then they both look at me and laugh together. 

I growl and run at them, tackling Deidara to the ground and punching him. He fights back and holds my fists. "Geez, Akemi, what's your problem?" He asks, pushing me off of him.

"What the hell did you tell Hidan?"

Hidan laughs maniacally. "Calm your titties, Akemi. He was just telling me how you snore like a pig."

I narrow my eyes at the both of them. "Like a pig? You mean like the way you were staring at me last night?" I retort bitterly.

Deidara furrows his eyebrows. "What? I don't remember any of that."

Hidan throws his head back and laughs loudly. "Apparently you did some pervy things while you were drunk last night. I wonder if you fucking hit it," he says, hinting that he wanted the answer.

By this time everyone was quiet and their eyes were on the three of us. 'Great,' I thought to myself, 'we have an audience.' "He did NOT hit it!" I yell, "Nor will he ever!"

"Oooh that's cold!" Hidan laughs.

Deidara looked stunned, probably trying to recall the events from last night. "Okay, well why would I want to hit that?"

Hidan laughs even harder. "Ooooh kill 'em!!" 

I shrug, "Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you 'dream about seeing it'?"

"Seeing what exactly?" He asks.

"My 'womanly merchandise.' Your words exactly."

Deidara scrunches his face up. "Okay, first of all, I was drunk. Second of all, what womanly merchandise? You seem to have none." 

I see red and I tackle him again, using my special jutsu and growing cat claws, scratching him on the cheek. He hisses in pain and grabs my hair, yanking it backwards and causing me to fall back. Deidara stands and attempts to walk off but I jump up and punch him in the jaw. 

Pein grabs us and splits us up again. "Enough already!" He looks to the rest of the group, "Thanks to your teammates Akemi and Deidara, we will be spending another night here. Same partners. We will continue doing this until all of you can get along with no fights." 

I glare at Deidara. He glares back. "Deidara, I hate you. Thanks a lot." I run off a good distance away and effortlessly climb a tree with catlike grace. I sit against the tree trunk and lean my head back, bathing in the sun. Last night had to be a mistake. He was so...annoying. I clench my fists and close my eyes, relaxing. Another night to spend with the idiot I hated. Another day to fight over pudding cups. 

I take a few deep breaths and imagine myself in a happy place. A place where I am surrounded by platters of vanilla pudding, German chocolate cake, and dozens of other desserts. And shirtless men fanning me with oversized leaves. And Deidara shirtless as well-my eyes fly open and I pinch myself. I needed to a stop being so foolish and stupid. Damn...my thoughts were being intercepted by him a lot lately. I didn't even know why but I really wish I could stop it. All of a sudden, a rock comes flying at me and hits me in the temple full force. I lose my balance and fall out of the tree, screaming the whole way down and waiting to hit the ground. But I don't because someone catches me before I do.


	3. Chapter 3

I gasp and look up. "Deidara, what the hell?" I push out of his arms and stand up. "What do you want?"

He shrugs. "Just wondering if you were okay. You seemed a little upset by my comment back there," he says, smirking.

I scowl and punch him in the shoulder. "In that case, don't fucking bother."

"Look, Akemi, I was...I...sorry..." 

"I don't care, Deidara. I really don't," I say coldly.

Deidara looks hurt for a split second but it's soon replaced by amusement. "You don't care? Well, sweetheart, if you don't want to deal with me for days to come, you'd better."

I stay silent and cross my arms.

"Akemi, please, can we just get along for tonight so we don't have to spend anymore time together?"

I snort. "Yeah, like we could get along."

"PRETEND I meant," he emphasizes, "it's either that or spend more time with you."

"You're right. Let's...try. I don't want to spend more time with you than I have to. So what's your plan? How are we going to get along?" 

"You mean pretend?" Deidara smirks.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "What the FUCK ever! Pretend, sure. That's beside the point! How are we going to pretend to get along?" I ask, about fed up with his smartass comments.

He shrugs. "I mean, it shouldn't be that hard."

"Okay, whatever. We'll figure it out. We should probably go back before someone thinks we killed each other," I say, returning to the campsite. 

As soon as I set foot on the premise, Tobi attacked me with a hug. "I am soo happy you and Deidara-senpai are close now!"

I crinkle my eyebrows, dazed. Had they heard our conversation? "What are you talking about, Tobi?"

"You and Deidara-senpai went to first base together!" He says cheerily.

I blush. "What the-where'd you hear that?!"

"Deidara-senpai said he was going to take you!" 

I blush momentarily but turn to Deidara. "Seriously Deidara?!"

Deidara huffs, "Really Akemi? I was joking. You know, haha funny? It's called humor."

"Well your not funny, so stop," I say. I walk towards Kisame and cross my arms.

Kisame chuckles. "What did you two do in the woods?"

"I was sitting in a tree. Deidara technically pushed me out of the tree. That's about it," I lie. 

"You sure you weren't going to first base?" He jokes. 

"Yes, I am most definitely sure I wasn't going to first base with him."

"Enough about first base. I have a proposition," Pein offers.

All heads turned to our leader, curiosity striking them. 

"Let's do a scavenger hunt," he says.

Everybody groans and I roll my eyes. "A scavenger hunt? You can't be serious."

"I am. Me and Konan will figure out a riddle and a target for everyone to look for and everyone will partner up with there camping buddy. Itachi, Hidan. You two will work together since having us as a partner would be an unfair advantage to the hunt. Winners get a prize. The prize? Going home to the base while the rest of is continue our bonding trip. I figure if any team works together well enough, you have learned teamwork and deserve a break."

I smile to myself. We didn't even have to go through with the plan. All we had to do was win this scavenger hunt. I gave Deidara an eager look. Deidara returns my look but with a slight hesitation. 'Hmmm...strange,' I note. I made a mental note to beat it out of him later.

"Okay, Konan and I will step aside for a bit to author a few riddles. Be strategizing with your partner while we do." Pein did a few hand signs and he and Konan disappeared.

As soon as they disappeared, Hidan burst out laughing. "Oh come on! Everyone knows what they're doing!" 

"Hidan, don't joke about that." 

Hidan huffs. "Whatever Itachi, your just jealous cuz you haven't gotten any in years."

Itachi ignores his comment and leans against a tree. 

"Damnit Itachi, why don't you fight back? I mean, didn't I fucking bruise your ego?" 

Kisame chuckles. "You're wasting your breath. Itachi doesn't waste his time arguing with idiots."

I chuckle as Deidara approaches me. "Let's win this thing," he says.

"Right," I start, "so what's our strategy?"

Deidara chuckles. "Strategy? We don't need a strategy. I say we just wing it!"

"Deidara, that's never the way to go. Do you want to win this thing or not?"

"Yeah but I think we can figure it out as we go."

"And what if we don't?" I ask, getting irritated now.

"Why are you so adamant about 'having a plan'?" He asks.

"Because if we wing it, we'll fail!"

"What makes you say that?" Retorts Deidara.

I raise an eyebrow. "Look at us. We were going to wing our faux friendship, were we not? Look at us 'winging' it."

Deidara stays silent for a small moment before giving up. "Fine...what's the plan?" 

"First things first. As soon as he gives us the riddle, let's decipher it," I whisper close to him, concealing our plan, "then, we figure out our execution plan. Once we get this object, we return to Pein and Konan and retrieve our freedom from each other. You got that?"

Deidara nods, seemingly deep in thought. "Yeah, sure."

"You sure?"

He nods. "Yup!"

I looked around. "Let's be honest...our only real competition is Itachi and Kakuzu. Maybe Sasori. If we can figure out what they're plan is, we can surpass them."

"Yeah but...how do we do that?"

I grin mischievously. "We cheat."

Deidara smirks. "Okay, I got Kakuzu and Sasori. You get Itachi. We'll meet up back here when Pein returns."

I nod, understanding and run into the woods. I transform into a small kitten, stealthily approaching the tree Itachi was leaning against and climbing it. Sitting on a branch, I listen with my feline ears.

"Hidan, a plan is necessity. We can't go in it without one"

Hidan laughs. "Why do you insist on making a fucking plan? It's just a stupid fucking scavenger hunt. All you do is find shit."

"There's going to be a riddle. We must use our intellect to crack it and figure out our objective."

"Whatever, you can do that shit. I'll find it; you sit your sick ass down."

"I don't need to sit down, Hidan. What I do need is for you to shut your mouth long enough to draw out a plan."

"I'm going to be straight up. I'm not good at following fucking orders. Especially from a bastard who already has one leg in the grave. Let me handle this shit."

Itachi pauses. "Hidan...if that's the way you want it...so be it."

I grin inwardly and watch Deidara as he spies on Kakuzu and Sasori. Suddenly Pein and Konan returned and I hurried back to our spot in my human form. Deidara returned as well and I chuckle lightly. "There's no plan. Itachi has no plan."

"Seriously? Are you sure?"

"He's partnered with Hidan. Hidan argued a lot. I guess he was tired of hearing his mouth. I wouldn't completely trust that he won't try but from what I heard, he's not planning anything. What about Kakuzu and Sasori?" I whisper.

"They don't really have a set plan either. Kakuzu is going to evaluate the riddle, Sasori is going to look for the object."

I smile to myself. This was going to be easy.

"Okay, fellow Akatsuki members. Listen closely:

Sometimes it glitters, but often not;

May be cold, or may be hot,

Ever changing though the eye can't measure,

Concealed within are many treasures.

Some find safety beneath its gate,

While some may die beneath its weight!

Old and broken, it brings forth life.

I'll give you a hint: when you decipher this riddle, it'll seem hopeless to find the right one, but when you find it, you'll know it."

I furrow my eyebrows. Hmm...this one seemed pretty tricky.

"And, begin!"


	4. Chapter 4

Deidara summons his huge clay bird and motions for me to hop on. I oblige and sit near the tail while he controls it. I thought about the riddle long and hard.

"What do you think the answer is?" Deidara asks.

I shrug, "I don't know. Do you have any paper?"

He nods, getting out an old, empty scroll. "Here," he says, tossing it to me.

I hurriedly write down the riddle and study the first line first.

Sometimes it glitters, but often not.

"Okay, Deidara, what glitters some of the time but not all the time?" I ask.

Deidara thinks. "Um...glass? Water?"

I jot his answers down and think about it myself. Hmm...what sparkles? Metal and gems sparkle. Tile sparkles. Deidara's eyes... I blush and shake off that thought. I jot down the first three options and go to the next one. "Okay, I wrote down metal, gems, and tile. What about something that can be hot or cold?"

Deidara grins. "Water. Or your personality."

I roll my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that you can have a real fiery hot temper or you can have an icy cold glare." Deidara grins turning around, sticking all three of his tongues out at me.

I chuckle, and shake my head. "Let's be serious. What else?"

"Well going from what you wrote down for the first clue, metal fits."

"Rocks can be hot or cold," I pipe up. 'And your eyes,' I unconsciously add in once again.

"Right. So...the answers we have that fit line one and two are water and metal."

'And your eyes,' I think, blushing. What was I doing? Always thinking about him. And in a strange way. The strange way that suggested my so-called hate of Dei was a teeny weeny little crush. But that was preposterous. It wasn't me. I hated Deidara and our accordance was temporary.

Deidara turns slightly, studying me. "You're awfully quiet back there. You okay?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to unravel this thing."

"Okay. Well read the next line and let's see if any of our guesses line up with the clue."

I nod. "Right. Of course. The next line says 'Ever changing though the eye can't measure'. So that means that this object is changing but our human eye can't see it. So..."

"Well I guess that would knock water out, right?"

I nod, "Yeah, I think so. But metal might work. Like the rusting or corrosion of it."

"Right. Next?"

"'Concealed within are many treasures.' But...there isn't any treasure inside of metal. So..."

"Hmm...maybe we should back track a little bit. I think we're missing something big."

"Yeah...I agree. Maybe we're just not thinking hard enough. Let's go through the rest of the riddle and make some predictions first before we study the first few again. 'Some find safety beneath it's gates, while some may die beneath its weight.' Metal doesn't work for that one either. But water does."

"Okay, what else could work?"

I think long and hard. What could work? "Um critters live under rocks. And rocks could crush us. So that could work."

"I can't really think of anything. So rocks work for this one. Water does too."

"The next one says 'Old and broken, it brings forth life.'" I study the words, perplexed. 

"That one...I'm dead," Deidara jokes, "my brain can't even function right now. This riddle has rendered me brain dead."

I shake my head but smile. "So...skip this one?"

"Yeah, let's skip it and see what answer matches all of the clues," Deidara says.

I look over all of the riddles and slouch in disappointment. None of them were consistent. "We have to go back through it. Nothing matches," I say.

Deidara sighs. "Okay, let me land." He flies to a tree and lands his bird on the top. He turns around and walks to me, sitting beside me near the tail of his bird. "Okay the only semi-consistent answers are metal and water. But they don't fit for all of them."

I reread the riddle. Suddenly it hit me. Not literally but it hit me. "It's a rock."

"How do you know?"

"Okay, for the first clue, some of the answers we came up with were tile and gems. Both of those are rocks. For the second clue, obviously rocks can be hot or cold. For the third clue, rocks are aways changing because of erosion. Fourth, sometimes rocks hold treasures like gold, crystals and other things. Fifth, critters hide under rocks and rocks can crush or cause damage to other things. But...the last one...I don't know how that would work," I explain, everything synthesizing together to create a perfect explanation. 

Deidara smiles. "Wow, that was amazing. You figured that out just now?"

I nod. "Yeah, I put the pieces together and it made sense."

"Okay, well let's find a rock then. Pein said it would be obvious when we found it." Deidara stated, stepping up to man his bird again. "You ready?"

I nod and brace myself for take off. Deidara flew about 2 minutes before I felt a strong chakra. He could feel it too, for he stopped his bird again, this time next to a moderate-sized rock. "I think this is it," I state.

Deidara looks at the rock. Just a plain, grey colored rock. The only thing that stuck out about it was the strong chakra presence. "You're probably right." Deidara grabs the rock and studies it.

"Want me to put it in my bag?" I ask.

Deidara continued to stare at the rock and slowly his glance slid to me. He was deep in thought and obviously troubled. "Akemi, why do you hate me?"

I am speechless for a minute before I open my mouth and speak back. "What?"

"Why do you hate me?"

I gulp. "Can we talk about this later?"

Deidara shakes his head. "Tell me or I will blow the rock up and we will be stuck with each other." Deidara looked serious but I didn't understand his change in character.

I look down and mentally curse. What would I tell him? I think for a but before looking up and saying, "Deidara...what if...what if I said I don't know?"


	5. Chapter 5

Deidara stared at me. "Give me a break, Akemi. How do you not know?"

I shrug. "I...I don't know. We just never got along. I don't remember why, I just know that we never had a fondness for each other. Why do you hate me?" I counter.

Deidara grabs the rock and hops on his bird. "We have to go," he says, flipping the subject.

"You didn't answer my question," I say.

"Just come on, Akemi. I'll tell you when we return to the base."

"Why couldn't I have done the same?" I ask, glaring at him.

He shrugs. "Because I wanted to know. Now come on, let's go."

I huff and climb on back of his bird, sitting in my spot by the bird's tail. Why did he suddenly want to know why I hated him? 

"So...what are we going to do when we return to the base?" Deidara asks, making small talk.

"I'm going to sleep. I got no sleep last night."

"Oh...okay."

"What's with your tone?" I demand.

"What tone?" He asks, playing dumb.

I frown. "Your tone! You act so pitiful! And I have no idea!" Suddenly the bird makes a nosedive and I stumble, losing my balance and falling backwards, still on the bird.

"You know you can hold on to me, right?" he says softly, still watching the skies.

I come up behind him and reluctantly put my arms around his waist, holding onto him. I dropped my question, deciding to wait till we got to the base to drill him.

When we finally arrived on solid ground, in front of Pein and Konan, I got off and smiled. "Guess who found the object?" I stick my tongue out in Pein's face and Deidara takes out the rock, handing it to Konan. 

"Very well, I shall summon the others."

I look around and see Itachi sitting against a tree, reading a book. I walk up to him and smile. "You gave up?"

"Hidan is uncooperative and intolerable. I don't understand how he and Kakuzu accomplish anything," he says monotonously.

"Well Kakuzu knocks him around a bit and can threaten to not sew him back together," I offer. 

"Ah, that's what it is," he says. He sighs, "so, you two found the object?"

"Yes. Deidara and I figured the riddle out," I say eagerly.

"Kudos," he says, "it is a shame that Pein was able to trick you though."

"Trick me? How so?"

"He told us all that the winners can return to the base. In all actuality, you two will be the only ones at the base; therefore, you two will see each other and probably spend time together anyway. I think he should've allowed the winners to choose a place to go for a day. Then you would've been able to stay away from each other." He watches me analytically. "If you even want to get away from him."

"Yes! I do! What...what makes you think I don't?" I ask, offended.

Itachi stares at me. "Well your reaction right there clarifies everything," he says.

I frown. "Nuh uh! I didn't even react!" 

"You stuttered. But don't fret; I'm not going to tell anyone." Suddenly Itachi freezes. He looks down at his feet and lets out a shriek. There was a small spider on his foot. He flicks it off and breathes a sigh of relief.

My eyes widen and I try to hold back a laugh at his reaction at the tiny arachnid. It gets to be too much to take in and I burst out laughing. "Itachi! You should've seen your face!" I laugh, tears almost coming to my eyes.

Itachi frowns. "That was not funny," he states simply.

I laugh harder. "Y-yes! It w-was!" I say in between chuckles.

"Whoa, Itachi, what'd you do to make her laugh so hard?" Asked Kisame.

Itachi glared but didn't answer. "Oh he screamed cuz a spider was on him," I answer after I calmed down a little.

Kisame chuckled. "Really? The almighty Uchiha is afraid of spiders?"

"No, it just surprised me, that's all."

Kisame raises an eyebrow and finds another spider a little larger than the last one. He holds it towards Itachi and Itachi pales.

"Get that thing away from me, Kisame."

"What? Did I just surprise you with it? Touch it," Kisame insists.

Itachi glares harder with his Sharingan eyes. "If you don't get that thing away from me, count on spending 72 hours in hell," he threatens.

Kisame chuckles knowingly. "Oh alright. I won't scare you with it anymore." He puts the spider down and I watch it, making sure it didn't come near me.

"Attention! We have winners!" Pein announces, "Akemi and Deidara have won!" 

"What was the object?" Asked Sasori.

"It was a rock."

Everyone stared at Pein, incredulous. I chuckled inwardly and waited for someone to speak.

"A fucking rock? Are you SHITTING me?" Hidan curses, fuming.

"We spent 2 hours searching for a rock? An item that is present all over the damn forest?" Sasori added.

"How'd they find it? I'll bet they cheated!" Kakuzu inserted.

"It had surging levels of chakra. Now, Akemi and Deidara, you two may pack up your things and leave. The rest of you get ready for lunch. Dismissed."

I smile and hurry back to the tent to get things ready. Deidara followed and soon we were off to the base.


	6. Chapter 6

When Deidara and I finally reached the base, we hurried in. It was eerily silent and I smiled to myself. I could now sleep in my bed. I could lock myself away from Deidara. And I could paint without worrying about him taking my supplies.

"So...uh we're here. We made it."

I nod. "Yeah, we did. Thanks for cooperating, Deidara. So, I guess I'll see you later!" I say, making my way to my room. I opened the door and closed it behind me, plopping down on the bed lazily. Wow, it was so comfortable compared to that lame sleeping bag. I mentally cheered to myself and took out my easel and a brand new canvas. It was time to paint my feelings.

About 2 hours later, I had finally finished and refined my painting: a beautiful, vibrant abstract saturated with shapes and lines. I hurriedly stood up and rushed out of my room. I had sat at the easel so long painting that I hadn't taken a bathroom break. Now I suddenly felt it as if a rhinoceros was charging at my bladder. I squealed and ran to the bathroom, shutting the door and using the bathroom. When I was done, I washed my hands, but I got distracted. The shower. I kept my eye on it, debating on whether or not I should give in to my desire: a hot, relaxing shower. I finally caved and stripped down, stepping into the shower and turning the hot water on. It felt so nice-especially compared to the freezing cold creek water Konan and I had bathed in the previous night. I let the hot water run down my body for a while before I finally bathed and then turned the water off, wrapping myself in a towel. Humming to myself, I opened the bathroom door and stepped to my room, throwing on a t-shirt and some shorts. It was so nice to be back. I heard my stomach growling and smiled, making my way to the kitchen. I could eat some real food this time. I searched through the refrigerator, digging out the ingredients to concoct an amazing meal. After I retrieved all the ingredients, I began cooking my specialty-penne noodles with white Alfredo sauce, Parmesan cheese, chicken, and other seasonings to taste. As I prepared my lunch, I could hear a commotion coming from the hallway, probably from Deidara's room. I chuckle silently and remembered I had to force him to tell me why his tone was so pitiful earlier on the clay bird. After simmering the sauce to thicken it and draining the boiled noodles, I made myself a plate and sat at the bar, slowly eating my lunch and savoring the taste.

Suddenly, Deidara emerged from his room, rushing into the kitchen. "You made lunch?!"

I chuckle and say matter-of-factly, "Yeah, for me."

He frowns. "But there's so much left! And it smells delicious! Won't you share with me?"

"Why should I? I just slaved over that stove for almost an hour! And I'm sooo hungry!" I whine, knowing I made some for him as well, but it was fun to give him shit.

"You're not gonna eat ALL of that," he says.

I laugh. "Yeah, go ahead. I was just playing around."

He sweat drops and makes himself a plate, blushing unbeknownst to me. He sat down next to me with his plate and began eating. 

I watched him out of the corner of my eye, eating slowly. He was so handsome. It was so terribly obvious to me now. 

Deidara felt me staring at him and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. I quickly pretended to be engrossed in my food, poking the penne pasta with my fork and eating it. "Akemi..?"

I looked toward him. "Yes, Deidara?"

He examined my face, gently wiping the corner of my lips with his thumb.

I blushed bright red. "Wh-what are you doing?"

He holds up his hands in surrender. "Sorry! You had some sauce on your face!"

I felt so stupid and embarrassed. I was reading into his actions too much. What the hell was wrong with me? "Oh...right. Sorry, Deidara," I said.

"It's fine." He finished his food and stood up to wash his plate and fork. He was about to return to his room.

"Wait...Deidara?"

He stops and turns to me. "Yes, Akemi?"

I walked to the sink and began washing my plate and fork as well. "What was wrong earlier?" I asked, wondering what expressions were on his face now.

He was silent. I thought he had walked away until he spoke. "What are you talking about?"

"You..." I attempted to word it in my head. 'Acted strange. Acted pitiful. Acted sad. Asked weird questions suddenly that confused me.' I took a breath. "You seemed different."

He was quiet again. "Different how?"

I blushed. "You asked weird questions randomly and avoided my questions." I grabbed plastic Tupperware and began putting the food up to be stored. The dirty pans were now being tended to and cleaned spotless as I waited for his answer.

"I don't have to explain myself, Akemi. Especially not to you." After that, I guess, he walked off.

I sighed. Back to the normal routine of hating each other I guess. I finished cleaning the dishes and was off to my room. Time to get some real sleep. Maybe the rest of the Akatsuki would be back when I woke, and I wouldn't have endure Deidara's mood swings. I hurried to my room and closed the door, hopping in bed and easily falling asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I sat up in bed, stretching. I glanced at the clock and realize I had been asleep for two hours. I had to admit that when I opened my eyes, I felt like I had gotten more sleep than I did at the camp. The base was quiet, meaning that the rest of the gang were not back yet. I sigh and sit up in bed, climbing out of it and stretching. I ran a brush through my hair and made my way to the living room. I sat down on the couch and watched a bit of TV, bored. Nothing was amusing enough for me and I sighed, standing and looking around for Deidara. He wasn't anywhere around here. I needed some companionship. Usually I would track down Kisame, but I was stuck with bitch boy. I walked down the hall and knocked on his door. No answer. I groaned. "Deidara?" I pressed my ear to the door but heard nothing. So I continued my search. He was not in any of the rooms of the base so I went to the only place I thought he'd be. I walked outside the base and started off toward the hill top. Yup, there he was. "Deidara!" I shout.

He turned, seeing me. "Akemi. Uh good morning," he says. He looked distracted.

"Good morning. Why are you out here by yourself?"

Deidara shrugs, not meeting my eyes. "Oh you know, just practicing my jutsus. Besides, I'm not alone. You're here," he points out, laughing nervously.

At his lame save, I roll my eyes. "Oh...alright. fPracticing jutsus' huh? Let me leave you alone then." I turn to start walking off before I am abruptly stopped.

"Wait...I was kidding. I was just watching the sunrise. You know, beauty in its most 'natural' form." He smiles.

I smile back for a second before thinking twice and frowning. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Beauty in its most natural form'? Is that supposed to be an insult?" 

Deidara's expression morphs instantly, defensive and perturbed. "No, I was just making a statement about the sky!"

"The heavy emphasis on the natural explains otherwise, jerk!" I jab him in the chest with my pointer finger.

"How is it my fault that you feel so insecure and self-centered that you think everything I say pertains to you?!" He steps forward, attempting to intimidate me.

"How is it my fault that everything about your words and tone is insulting?!"

"Well how about changing your perspective for a second and seeing me from a novel point of view?!"

"Well how about changing the way you look at me and talk to me?!" I stand on my tip toes, attempting to make myself look taller and tower over him.

"That is just the way I talk!" He pushes my chest lightly.

"That is just the way I think!" I hit his chest hardly, but it was useless because he didn't stumble backward like I had hoped. I try again, this time using the strength of my entire body to push against him. He falls backward and, as he was the only thing keeping me upright, I fell with him. "Deidara!" I scream as we both tumble down the hill only to land at the bottom, Deidara's legs straddling my torso and his hands resting on either side of my head. "Deidara!"

"What the hell? Akemi, we just rolled down a fucking hill because of you!"

"And we just ended up in an intimate position because of you! Now get off of me!" I complain, pushing on his chest.

He groans, staring at me, a blank look on his face. "Akemi...fuck off!"

I scowl. "No, you fuck off!" I bite back.

Deidara stares at me, unknown emotions summoned in his eyes. Finally he leans forward and covers my mouth with his in a kiss. 

My body froze in some sort of paralysis before I began to shamelessly kiss him back. His hands travelled up my sides and cup my shoulders. I bring my arms up, cupping his head and getting lost in it for a second. He licks my lips, asking for my permission and I let him in. The kiss was delicate yet rough; controlled yet hungry. It was fantastic until I realized what was going on. Deidara and I were kissing. Making out, even. This was all wrong. I push him away, a dark blush accentuating my face as I sit up. "D-dei..." I start.

Deidara stares at me, a hint of regret tinted in his eyes. "Akemi...I can explain...I-"

"Dei...how did this happen...?" I slowly pick myself up from the ground, Deidara following my lead, and I stand awkwardly facing him.

"Akemi..." Deidara shakes his head, averting his eyes and turning his head away from me.

I frown. He was really starting to piss me off. "Why are you acting like this? Deidara, look at me, damn it!" 

"Akemi...let's just forget this happened. I can't explain myself quite yet and...this wasn't supposed to happen." Deidara turns and starts walking off, leaving me more confused than I had been since I began questioning my feelings for him. 

'Damn,' I think to myself, 'why does this have to happen to me? And why does he have to act so ambiguous?'


End file.
